eris dhamo greca albanian ageing, under the education perspective

8/10/2019 Eris DHAMO GRECA ALBANIAN AGEING, UNDER THE EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE

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214 Eris DHAMO GRECA

fact of introducing and applying new technologies recently, current seniors

found themselves excluded from recognition and use of these daily inno-

vations (including computers, smart phones, multifunctional TVs or the

internet and understanding and perception in social networks). Discussions

regarding the education experience with seniors are somewhat challenging,

if we take under consideration the history of education in Albania or if we

take under consideration the real changes to the educational system only

during the last few years.

Annette Niederfranke (State Secretary, Ministry of Work and Social

Affair, Germany) on her work suggests that the integration of elderly men

and women in their position in society it is a special importance for theEuropean Union, knowing that these countries, like our country, are still

unprepared for the support of learning process throughout life, which should

include education of the elderly. Strengthening and recent efforts coming

from European Union suggest solidarity, and this solidarity shouldnt only

come from the promotion of learning for each other of youth and elderly,

but particularly in the transfer of experience and knowledge of the elderly

among the elderly in other countries. This not will only include them directly

in an education program, but it will be even more valuable for beneciarieswhich will have the opportunity to learn from the best practices.

The third age as well as the fourth one is now a special period in the

life of an individual. If we look at the characteristics of this age group, the

rst thing we would notice is the signicant characteristics within the same

generation. By imagining that part of these seniors are the ones newly re-

tired and those that are living in their last days, certainly their potential of

learning and doing things will be different. Grigory Klyucharev (Chair of

Sociology Institute in Science Academy, Russia) expresses that the more

problem a person undergoes throughout their lifetime, they present more

learning opportunities. A characteristic about seniors is that they learn

with different speed and methods from the youth. Mr. Klyucharev also

expresses his opinion that it is necessary to choose an environment where

the seniors would feel comfortable during their learning process and the

more comfort the environment will be, the education process will be more

effective as well. As a rule, the work they do during their career comes to

an end when they retire.

Tatiana Konolygina (Chef of Regional Board Orlov, Russia) refers thatin Russia there are over 150 organizations open for senior education. For

example: University of Golden Age is running in the Orlov region with a

network of branches in villages. In Kursk a similar institution has also opened

a branch network. The most wanted programs are those of preserving good


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215Albanian ageing, under the education perspective

health and memory treatment.

Different social statuses (retired, widowed, etc.) of the elderly dictates

the need of adoption with a new reality; which nowadays is an additional

education; this is the reason why education goals of the third age are char-

acterized by new needs associated with change. The main functions of

education for the elderly are those concerning the problems with poverty

and loneliness, as two main problems of this age group, structures of time

available, attaining cross-generational dialogue, involvement in social en-

gagement, education on healthy living and a range of directions that they

must face in their current life. Currently there are no organizations in Al-

bania that have a main role in educating the older generation with strategicprograms and visions; certainly there are a number of institutions (public

and private) which have in focus the support of this target group, but they

are not recognized for offering education.

According to the recommendations that come from the European Union

and specically from the sections dealing with education and health, the

design of a comprehensive social and political process involves different

elds of actions such as building healthy public policy; developing personal

skills; creating supportive environments; strengthening community actions;reorienting health services, and so on.

Adult Learning Theories

A part of being an effective teacher involves the better understanding of

the way how adults study better (Lieb, 1991). Andragogy (the way adults

learn) its a theory that carries a number of assumptions about how adults

learn. Andragogy emphasizes the value of the process of thinking. It uses

methods of learning that are based on problem and interaction with them

rather than didactic, and also highlights more equality between the educator

and the person that wants to learn. Andragogy as a study of the way that

adults learn has its origins in Europe in 1950. It was developed and then

pioneered as a model theory of the way how to teach adults how to study by

Malcolm Knowles, an American physician and theorist of adult teaching,

in the 1970s, setting andragogy as the art and science of helping adults

learn(Zmeyov 1998; Fidishun 2000).


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What are the principles of andragogy?

Adults are internally motivated and are self-directed

Adults resist learning when they feel others are imposing information,

ideas or actions on them (Fidishun, 2000). Our role is to facilitate their

movement toward learning in a more responsible and self-directed way and

also to encourage their internal motivation to learn.

They cannot be considered students, they have a whole experience

of learning in a structured way (at least they have completed compulsory

education) and have a lifetime of experience.

All the Gerontology experts that are interested in the education of adultshave to:

Build programs of learning that move from being more structured

and with more responsibilities, to programs less structured and with

fewer responsibilities, with an appropriate pace that is challenging

and is not overloaded.

Develop relationships with the students to choose the right approach

to encourage asking questions and exploring concepts.

Show interest in their thoughts and opinions. And, listen carefullyto each question.

Direct them to the right investigation before providing them with

more facts.

Provide regular, constructive and specic feedback (both positive

and negative).

Review the goals and accept their conclusions

Encourage them to use resources such as libraries, magazines, the

Internet and resources from other departments.

Project or create tasks that reect their interests which they must

meet during the course. For example: to provide a service to the

topic of choice, to present a case study based on one of the clients,

to design an educational handout for the client; or to lead an activity

of the session for a group of clients.

Embrace their favorite style of learning. There are questionnaires

that help them to identify their preferred style of learning, which

they may discuss with their educator.

Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences

Adults want to be given the opportunity to use their existing foundation

of knowledge and experience gained from life experiences and applies it to

new experiences of learning.


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All the Gerontology experts that are interested in the education of adults

have to:

Discover more about their students interests and past experiences

(personal, work-related and studies).

Help them to highlight those experiences that show problem solving,

and also reection and application of clinical reasoning processes.

Facilitate reective learning opportunities which Fidishun (2000)

suggests that it may also help to consider existing prejudices and

customs based on life experiences and to lead them to a new un-

derstanding of the information presented.

Adults are goal oriented

Adult students get ready to learn, when they experience a need to

learn in order to deal more satisfactorily with real life tasks or problems

(Knowles, 1980 p 44, cited as in Fidishun, 2000). Our role is to facilitate

their readiness for learning and increase student awareness of the need for

knowledge or skill.

All the Gerontology experts that are interested in the education of adults

have to:Provide meaningful learning experiences that are clearly associated

with the person itself, with eld goals and clients, as well as assessing and

future life goals.

Provide real case studies (through reporting and contact with the cli-

ent) as a base from which to learn the theory, Occupational Therapy

Methods, and functional implications of issues of importance.

Ask questions that prompt reection, investigation and research.

Adults are oriented by importance

Adults want to know the signicance of what they are learning in con-

nection with what they want to achieve. One way suggested by specialists,

in order to help rst testing the value of their practical experiences, is:

Require reections on what they expected to learn prior to their

experience. What they learned after the experience and how they

can apply what they have learned in the future, or how it can help

them to meet their goals of learning.

Offer some choices regarding the eld project by providing two ormore options, so learning can be more likely to reect the interests

of the student.

Students really benet from the so called- regular teaching sessions,


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time spent going through various lectures, presented on certain topics-such

as recognition or perception. They understand more about a subject when

it is directly related to the work context. The way how it connects theory

to practice, is invaluable. - S. Bartholomai, OT clinical educator, Ipswich

Hospital (personal communication, May, 31st, 2007).

Adults are practical

Through practical experiences in the eld, interacting with customers

and real situations of their life, students move from the model of classes

and textbooks towards those oriented lessons to solve problems, where they

can rstly recognize that what they are learning is valid and applicable inthe context of life and work. Clinical educators can:

Clearly explain their clinical reasoning when making choices in

connection with assessments and interventions and also when pri-

oritizing the clinical needs of the client.

Be clear about what the student is learning, as it is useful and appli-

cable for the work and the group of clients that the clinical educators

are working on.

Promote active participation by allowing students to try instead ofobserving. Provide plenty of opportunities to practice assessment,

interviewing and intervention processes with enough repetition in

order to promote the development of condence, skills and com-

petencies.

Adults want to be respected

Respect can be demonstrated to the students by:

Showing interest.

Recognizing the richness of experiences that the student brings to

the discussion.

Considering and by associating with him/her as a colleague who is

equal in life experiences.

Encouraging the expression of ideas, reasoning and response in

every possible case.

It is important to keep in mind that the student is still developing his

clinical occupational therapy skills. However, with the theory and principlesof adult learning in mind, the learning approach can be facilitated by moving

from novice (beginners) to the more sophisticated methods of learning. This

facilitates greater integration of information, knowledge and experience; the

student learns how and when to learn, and evaluates to distinguish what is


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important while working, so this should be appreciated by the moderator

of the sessions; he must establish the priorities of the clients needs, goals

and unsolved cases; when rules can be set aside and how/when access to

occupational therapy practice and professional communication comes from

rigorous modeling of behavior in a unique expression of therapy and profes-

sionalism (Fidishun, 2000; TEIP, 1991).

Ways of adult learning are different from those of children, to speak

here for seniors, even them like adults are opted by some features which are:

1. Self-concept: with the maturing of a person his concepts move from

being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed

human being.2. Experience: As a person matures he or she accumulates a growing

reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for

learning.

3. Willingness to learn. With maturation their willingness to learn

becomes increasingly oriented to their developmental tasks of his

social roles.

4. Orientation to learning. With maturation, prospects change from the

postponement of the application of knowledge to immediate demandand in accordance with its orientation towards learning moves from

focusing on a subject to the centering of a problem.

5. Motivation to learn: With the maturation of a person, the motivation

to learn is internal (Knowles 1984:12).

All these cited above, are claimed to be the differences between andra-

gogy and pedagogy and have been the subject of a considerable debate. An-

dragogy as a notion has been known since the 1830s, but the person that made

it popular to English language readers was Malcolm Knowles. Andragogy

can be perceived as an idea that gained reputation at a particular moment -

and its reputation most likely says more about the ideological times, than it

does about learning methods. Jarvis (1977a), Davenport (1993) and Tennant

(1996) argued that there is no base in the adult learners characteristics upon

which to create a complete theory. Its not sure if Knowles has delivered

us with a theory or a set of guiding principles for practice; As Tennant says

there seems to be a failure to set and question these ideas within a logical

and reliable theoretical structure; while Jarvis comments, throughout hiswritings there is a tendency to list characteristics of a phenomenon without

questioning the literature of the arena (e.g. as in the case of andragogy)

or seeing through the lens of a comprehensible theoretical structure. The

conceptualizing of the way we learn on our own is a progressive method


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and the way the adult learns isnt a particular set of phases; this means that

there are life situations that inuence reection and exploration as main

learning components.

2. The Goals of the Study

The study began from the primary objective of understanding the

phenomenon of education of the elderly. We had to understand if this is a

routine activity and if they are responsible and aware about the necessity

or the challenge of a lifetime education. Initial assessment began from the

current theories and literature on the educational process and the valuationof these theories on the reality of the elderly people of Tirana. A probably

premeditated purpose will be that of the recognition and promotion of

certain benecial activities, which come from the best practices, proposed

by the education and training institutes for the elderly. This goal in itself

precedes the engagements that society and central and local government

should undertake to promote education of the elderly, not only for a healthy

lifestyle for them, but primarily to reduce costs to families and society in

the assistance and the attention that they should provide towards the elderly.

3. Methodology

The methodology that will be used in this study is the qualitative method.

The main goal is to recognize the depth of perception of education and not

only that but also the need for deep scientic knowledge of the involvement

of the elderly in this process. The appropriate method had to be selected

based on this statement. This was accomplished by focusing on two main-

lines; rstly in the study of literature from the most popular countries in

this eld and secondly on focus groups with the elderly to elaborate the

issue of education, the evaluation of their perceptions and opportunities for

education, but also the identication of areas of interest, where they identify

more detailed information in order to be trained, to assist the achievement

of a more comprehensive search, the triangulation of the research methods

will be accomplished through development of short questionnaires with

closed questions.

The Objectives of the Study

The following objectives have also served as issues for elaboration, or

research questions. The modules of discussion for the focus groups were

established on the basis of these objectives.


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Identication of the information on the education of the elderly.

The perception of the elderly about the importance and the help that

education can provide in dealing with various issues.

Recognition and evaluation of the current educational commitments

of the elderly.

Identication of gender differences, educational or regional, in this

new challenge.

Identifying the attitude of older people on the process of education

throughout life.

Sampling and data collectionSeniors over 60 years for women and 65 years for men, who live in

Tirana, without default of origin or education were part of this study. Two

focus groups were created. The rst focus group was composed of 7 elderly

people and the second focus group was composed of 5 elderly people. A

short questionnaire was conducted, apart from the focus groups, based on the

issues and perceptions on the education of the elderly of the focus groups.

General data for the sampling of the focus groups: The rst focus group

was conducted with elderly people who knew each other and often socializedtogether, and this certainly carries its own errors; but given the short time

available and the elaboration of a new eld; but also based on the charac-

teristics of age, the data gathered from them were valuable and challenging

for the work of the moderator. The second group was randomly selected,

but had its limitations in terms of participation, where in some cases the

necessary quorum was not realized (this was foreseen by the researcher

because the months March-April, when the meetings were conducted are

known for carrying viruses).

Another instrument used was the survey of 36 elderly, of which ap-

proximately 40% were male and 60% female. Initial selection of a female

majority refers to the demographic characteristics of this age group that for a

long time and throughout Europe has been the highest percentage of gender.

4. Analysis of the data

Todays seniors are aware of the many variables of the economic and

social development of our societies and of the challenges that accompanythese changes. They live in a world of rapid daily changes and for many of

them, mainly the technological changes, are hard to understand.

Why is the education of the elderly important? This is a question that

implies at least two contexts for the word important. Education can be


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to ask family members to share their experiences in using these devices.

Regarding the use of Internet, there are elderly people who have learned

to open and close the computer in a mechanical way and use one or two

channels of communication with their children living outside Albania, while

others, although in support of the use of these modern tools and methods

of communication, consider the use of the Internet to be their biggest chal-

lenge in learning.

Before talking about new technologies and the use of internet, several

ndings need to be presented as they highlight the obstacles for familiariza-

tion with these tools for the elderly, including:

They had no toy or modernized device in their childhood. Their only way of communication was direct contacts.

Many of them have learned to read and write and have undergone

formal education only for a few years.

They have seen a computer only in the last years, and have never

learned how to use it.

The areas of interest to men and women turned out to be different, this

is also due to the strengthening of gender differences that this age displaysnaturally. Women were less attracted to formal education, and didnt show

the same enthusiasm as men in terms of the organization and establishing

of a program where they could learn everything that could have an impact

on daily living.

In contrast to the studies carried out and from what the literature refers

to, the elders in Tirana (but this might be the same for all of Albania), dont

need a special eld or subject of interest; as it might be the nature, the en-

vironment, or their conservative nature. This probably generates from the

fact that they are still unaware about the possibilities of their organization

and education.

If we start talking about computers or the internet, the rst thing that we

will see is nervousness, because they dont want to talk about this subject,

because they dont understand it, and they will immediately start to explain

and justify why they consider it a worthless tool.

They dont even prefer to use the computer for playing games, or reading

the news (even in places where computers and the internet are available to

the elderly, they dont prefer to use them).They say, for example: we dont understand these new inventions, we

do not have the patience to learn how to use them, they are too complicated,

everything breaks if you press the wrong button, we are too old to learn

this things, we are afraid that we might break them, I struggled a lot


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until I learned it and I have too many notes.

Currently education funds are one of the countrys budget items that

incur annual growth and in fact this is an action that must be congratulated,

since education today is a reduced cost of tomorrows society; is worth more

in human and social capital of the society. Although it is right that consider-

able part of public funds is spent on these funds for education, governments

should consider how other types of learning must be met, and ask if 1% of

the public education budget is an appropriate action to address the learning

needs for 9% of the population.

Conclusions

First of all I want to reemphasize the increase of the movements to

educate older people all over the world as well as the increase of numerous

studies, known by the term andragogy.

It is worth mentioning that the study was done in Tirana and does not

take into account the interests of older people who live in rural areas and are

generally associated with the land as long as they can, maybe until their death.

Although several studies have focused on the impact of the welfare ofthe elderly, in none of them taken in our country was not considered the role

of education in helping older people to a better management of their lives.

New technologies have never had such an important role in society.

They are changing the way we work, the encouragement, and organization

of our daily lives, well-functioning being in contact (virtual) with other

people and the learning. This new century (with the extraordinary inuence

of technology) proposed new challenges for everyone. Seniors are involved

in society (as far as we can talk about their integration), and consequently in

these challenges; therefore we must help them to achieve a better standard

of living with new technologies, because education specialists say that man

can be educated throughout the course of his life. Older people in developing

countries and in our country cannot be left out of this, for them, overwhelm-

ing experience, so they also have to get used to new technologies.

Promoting education as a very effective tool for enhancing the quality

of life is obvious; with a supportive and valuable technology a lot of older

people will be able to live more independently and to have higher involve-

ment opportunities in social life.We should provoke debate and continuous contact between the elderly

and young people with an easier education for the new things. Therefore,

education should be oriented towards the skills they have and show and

not towards what they lack otherwise we would add to the stress and fear


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of failure.

Adoption from experiences of older people in developed countries,

mainly with the selection and orientation towards an educational area that

will meet not only the needs but above all will provide pleasure, is a source

that needs to be used.

Certainly that this considerable number of elderly people has different

ways of thinking and learning; they have different approaches in terms of

their social engagements (travel, volunteering, political commitments...);

belong to different social, cultural and educational classes; these and many

other factors must be present in the starting of the training program for their

education.This paper, in addition to the above I believe that has raised our aware-

ness on a number of issues, such as:

Is education necessary to address the need?

Is this part of the long-term care for the elderly?

Is it implemented in the current political attention?

Does it have to be evaluated in national level and do we need to start the

efforts for the education of a society that is older, healthier, more capable,more committed and more independent?

Give up the idea that only children should spend their time to study. Be

a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this shall mean

all your life. - Henry L. Doherty


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Eris DHAMO GRECA

ALBANIAN AGEING, UNDER

THE EDUCATION PERSPEC-

TIVE

Abstract

In Albania ageing will become

a tomorrow challenge of the society

and science and technology havedone a lot to facilitate their life,

but Albanian elderly arent familiar

with them. The core of this research

paper is the education evaluation and

perception of elderly about todays

society changes, after exploring an-

dragogy concepts. The methodology

primarily went to literature study andsecondly on use of focus groups with

elderly. For better understanding a

short questioner with closed ques-

tions was applied to triangulate data.

Elderly education is a new concept

for elderly. Training in the use of

electronic or computer equipment

was an area of high interest to them.

The organization of the education

for a healthy ageing, independent

and well integrated was not only

a conclusion but even a possible

recommendation of this study, ac-

cording to the earliest study made

on Albanian contents.

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eris dhamo greca albanian ageing, under the education perspective

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